


Blinding Lights

by Insomniac_with_dreams



Series: Act Natural Series [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Actor Lance (Voltron), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Blood, Curtis loves Shiro, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt Shiro (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Injury, Invasion of Privacy, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Keith (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith Gets His Scar, Keith still Loves Hippos, Lance (Voltron) Needs a Hug, M/M, PTSD attacks, Secret Relationship, Sequel to Act Natural, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Shiro works in Makeup, Stalking, They Struggle a Little in this one, Tired Keith (Voltron), Tired Lance (Voltron), broganes, cliches, journalist keith, klance wedding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:21:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25924279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insomniac_with_dreams/pseuds/Insomniac_with_dreams
Summary: “Love you star,” Lance whispers.“Love you, Lance.”After they hang up, his phone is hungry for a recharge and it’s three in the morning.Keith gets out of bed, walks to the kitchen, and writes, kiss through a computer screen, on the list in purple Crayola marker.He puts a checkmark by it.
Relationships: Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Act Natural Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881364
Comments: 40
Kudos: 106





	1. Keith

**Author's Note:**

> Because I have no self-control, and because I'm not ready to let them go. I have decided to write a sequel. Not sure how long it will be, but who ever knows these thing.
> 
> Anywho, I present to you Blinding Lights. 
> 
> Read the first story Act Natural first for any of this shit to make sense.

“Why are you so happy?” he hadn't realized the grin that had been adorning his face was still there until Shiro called him out for it as he walks into his kitchen. He jumps forgetting for a little that Shiro had told him he was coming over.

“I think the better question is why are you wrapped in blankets when it’s about a thousand degrees in here?”

Shiro sniffs and runs a hand under his nose, glaring at the floor. Keith follows his gaze to the empty tub of ice cream on the floor. _His_ empty tub of ice cream on the floor. Keith sighs, dropping his keys and helmet to the table he leans over and closes the microwave that had been left over. A bag of popcorn sits next to it unpopped. He pulls a chair around and sits down next to Shiro who slumps into him.

“Shiro, where’s your arm?” the usual weight of his prosthetic wasn’t there. Shiro hiccups and leans more heavily into him.

“I left it at home.”

Keith pats his head sympathetically.

“You want to talk about it?”

Keith knows he does. If he didn’t he wouldn’t still be awake. Shiro huffs reaching towards his nose with Keith’s comforter clutched in his fist. Keith snags it back and sends Shiro a mock glare.

“It’s just, you’re leaving aren’t you?” Shiro says in a heavy voice. Keith startles and cranes his neck to look at Shiro’s face properly.

“What are you talking about?”

“You and Lance. You guys are gonna get married and then you’re gonna go live somewhere else.”

Keith is taken aback, to say the least by the conversation. It had never occurred to him that Shiro would be this torn up about him leaving. He always thought Shiro would be relieved to have his life free of him.

“Shiro, where is this coming from?” His eyes narrow, “Did something happen between you and Curtis again?”

Shiro sniffs hard but shakes his head, “No. Well, maybe a little.” Shiro pauses and chews his lip, his cheeks coloring in shame. “I told him we should take a break.”

“Shiro, why? I thought you guys were past this. What inspired you to do that? Was he being an ass? Shiro, I will go over there, you know I fucking will.”

Shiro waves him away with a laugh and Keith isn’t able to save his comforter this time as Shiro wipes his face with it. Keith sighs, he would have to wash it before Lance got back.

“No. It was all me this time. I just don’t think that I’m getting anywhere. My therapist says I am, but every time I get turned down it destroys me, and I’ve been really messy lately. I'm just, I’m so happy for you Keith.” His voice is getting watery again and Keith feels helpless on what to do. “I’m so glad my baby brother is happy and has found someone that loves him, but I still want you to be here. Ya know? Anyways, Curtis shouldn’t have to deal with my shit.” 

Yeah, he isn’t sleeping with that blanket tonight, but he doesn’t say anything and lets Shiro use it.

“You took a break from your relationship because you were so happy about mine?” Keith says a smile curling his lips. Shiro groans and flops his head down on the table. Keith lets himself laugh a little before sobering. He sighs again, “Shiro, listen, I might move away, but it’s not gonna be for a while now. Lance is busy, you know it. We’ve already had to postpone three times.” that was a spot of anxiety that had yet to leave Keith. “And even when I do, I won’t leave you. We made a pact remember?”

Shiro nods against the table. He looks sad, his big frame looking small under the weight of his worries. Keith felt sorely unprepared for this. While they were brothers through thick and thin, neither were good at _this_ aspect of brotherhood. Keith spewed the truth and it often led to him sounding like he was condescending or annoyed, and Shiro immediately went into panic mode and nothing ever got solved. Finally Keith takes a deep breath and stands, he has some of Shiro’s tea in a cabinet and he sets out to make it.

“When you say you don’t feel like you’re improving how do you mean?” he calls as he goes through the cabinets. Shiro sometimes responded better when he wasn’t having to talk to a stationary person. When he got discharged from the military and diagnosed with severe PTSD, Keith had set him up with play therapy. It had helped Shiro focus on both the problem and not feel put on the spot.

“Well, I think my depression isn’t doing too well.”

Keith winced as he steeped the water, “When was the last time you took your pills?”

It was silent at the table and then Shiro let out a small _oh._ Keith turned around to look at him. Shiro was staring at his hand.

“Shiro?” he asks, already coming around the counter. Shiro looks up at him.

“It’s been a while. I always forget, even when I put a reminder on my phone.”

Keith nods going back to the tea, “okay, well maybe we should try to get you back on routine. Anything else bugging you?”

Shiro makes a contemplative noise accepting the tea when Keith hands it to him. Keith settles back into his chair and they blow on the beverage at the same time.

“I’ve been having some pretty bad nightmares lately, and I’ve found it a lot harder to talk to my therapist. I’m not sure why.”

Keith nods, biting at the soft inside of his cheek as he debates on what to say.

“Have they been army dreams or,” he trails off, not wanting to talk about it.

Shiro sighs, “You can say I was in a toxic relationship Keith, I was.” Shiro smirks at him and Keith rolls his eyes at his own words being thrown back at him.

“I can’t believe you still bug me about that. That was like three years ago!”

Shiro laughs and he’s starting to sound a lot like himself again.

“I am never forgetting that day Keith! Do you know how awesome it was to sit on the floor of your shithole dorm room and eat Ihop with fucking Lance McClain?! It was so cool.”

Keith huffs and looks up at the ceiling, “Yeah, it was so cool. Except for the part where he was scared out of his pants of you. I truthfully thought you had destroyed everything we had gone through to get there. He left without kissing me and then apologized because of it. All because you _loom_.”

Shiro lounges back in his chair, setting his cup on the table to dip a finger into it. He wipes it dry on Keith’s blanket afterward. “I don’t loom.”

Keith makes a face at him, “You loom. Seriously though Shiro, how bad are they?”

Shiro ruffs a hand through his hair, “bad enough that I have to talk myself down for an hour at least.”

“Shiro, why haven’t you been calling me?” Keith asks his voice full of soft reprimand. Shiro reaches up to rub at his stub self consciously. 

“The same reason I think me and Curtis should take a break.”

Keith blinks sitting up a little straighter, "What? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Yes, it does.” Shiro’s voice breaks and Keith watches in horror as a tear slides down Shiro’s cheek. Shiro seems frustrated by it and wipes it savagely at it with the blanket. “Curtis has helped me through all of it. He’s lost sleep because of me. I know he’s worried. He shouldn’t be, and neither should you.”

No. Keith wasn’t having any of this. He stands up and looks down at Shiro making sure his brother is looking him in the eyes before he starts talking.

“Takashi, are you kidding me? You’re telling me that you're worried I’m going to get sick of you needing help and leave? You’re telling me, your head up his ass brother that you think I’m going to leave? You never gave up on me Shiro, I’m never giving up on you. And that man,” he points out the window for no reason, “That man loves you, and you love him. We both care so much about you Shiro, and if you need to switch therapists then we can help you, if you need a reminder to take your meds I will set an alarm on my phone and call you every morning. Got it? I don’t think either of us is willing to give you up.”

He huffs a breath and stares down at Shiro daring him to challenge him. Shiro’s bottom lip trembles and he holds out his arm, Keith chuckles and wraps his arms around Shiro, rubbing his back. 

“I wish you would have told me sooner.”

Shiro scoffs pulling away from Keith, “Yeah right, and ruin your Christmas and proposal? Yeah no, and hey it was payback for you not telling me when you broke your face.”

Keith shoved him, “It was your first date in like a year, I wasn't gonna ruin that, and besides, it was like my nose.”

“You broke your nose _and jaw_.” Shiro deadpans and Keith waves him away.

“Details. But my point is, tell me when you feel that low, yeah? I know I suck at things like this, but I want to help.” he drops his voice and raises an eyebrow at Shiro, “and so does the man who loves you.”

Shiro rolls his eyes but he looks happier and that’s all that matters to Keith. His face softens and Keith frowns at him. “What?”

“Lance is good for you Keith. I’m glad things worked out for you guys.”

Keith smiles down at the ring on his finger. “Me too.”

Shiro leaves an hour later, a worried-looking Curtis opening his arms for Shiro to go to if he wanted. He had and Keith had watched the exchange leaning on his door frame. Curtis wipes a tear away quickly and thanks Keith. Keith shrugs.

“Of course. Be safe going home.” they’re almost to the car when Keith calls after them, “Shiro you owe me ice cream!”

Shiro flips him off.

He has nothing else to do when he gets back in. So he cleans up the little mess Shiro had made in his kitchen and then sighs as he unbundles his comforter. Shiro must have been using it as a napkin long before Keith had gotten home. Chocolate is smeared into the fabric. He’d have to ask Lance where he went and got his suit cleaned of the chocolate, but for now, he lays it on top of the tiny washing machine in his equally tiny laundry room. His mood is a lot less jovial, he feels grim now. Worry and loneliness eating at him. He had to keep reminding himself it was only one more week and then he’d see Lance again. For now, he just has to wait for their time zones to work out and for Lance to call him. 

Looking at the clock now, he had about three hours, and yeah maybe the time zones don’t match up. It’s always one in the morning for Keith, but it’s worth it.

He putters around the house a little longer, finding it weird that he actually wants a mess to clean up. The idea of getting a dog has been floating around his mind for a while, but he isn't sure he’s home enough to take care of a dog. 

He sits down at his desk and flips on his lamp, squinting as it reflects off the white paper. He sighs. The assignment is not one he normally would take but he needs a job and a distraction so he had taken it. Keith had been hired to do a piece on some scumbag politician and Keith had only felt the need to smack him about three times. The other ten were to stuff a sock down his throat. He had kept his writing completely professional, being sure to keep his own views out of it. He hates it, it’s an ugly boring piece. So he goes through it quickly editing it retyping it out before he sends it off. It gets to be too much at around midnight, he flips off the light and dresses in the dark letting his hair down. He throws the band on the floor, something he can only get away with when Lance isn’t home.

He climbs into bed and grabs the hippo plush that occupies Lance’s side of the bed when he’s gone. Keith rolls away from the cold sheets and empty pillow. It hurts sometimes when he really lets himself sink into the huge bed. It hurts that Lance isn’t there to hold him till he falls asleep and then kiss him awake in the morning. It’s been too long since they had spent a lazy morning together. Kisses that taste like black tea and burned pancakes when they get distracted. It’d been a while since they had marked something off of their cliche list that hangs on the fridge. It had been Keith’s idea when Lance had taken him to Paris on a business trip. Keith had wanted to refuse because _Paris?!_ But because it was a business trip Keith agreed to go.

“Is this what you had in mind?” Lance had whispered to him, warm arms wrapped around his waist the first morning it had rained. The streets seemed to become quieter, everyone seeking shelter from the rain.

“Yes. Yes, this is perfect.” 

Lance had grinned at him, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth, Keith turning his head to catch his lips before he could pull away. “I have so many places to take you. We could make an entire list of cliches and mark it all off just with a day here.”

So Keith had done it. Sat down and wrote out a list of Paris related cliches. They had done them all. Kissed at the top of the Eiffel tower, Lance bends him deeply and the kiss turns into laughter. Had picnics and boat rides. Ate at outdoor cafes, found lovely book stores that smelled like old paper and petrichor. Watched the autumn leaves fall. Lance had made love to him in the rose smelling bed they slept in. Sweet gentle love, it had been wonderful, but after the fact, both agreed nothing beat that night in front of the blazing fireplace in Keith’s cabin. Where the heat had melted it’s way into their bare skin and everything had bled together in swaths of gold and umber. Lance’s flashing blue eyes being the only disruption in the golden light.

He hadn’t let the list go after they got back. Lance and Keith had several weeks where it was just the two of them, living life regularly. Keith added cliches to the list they could do at home. Watch the sunrise, go for a midnight stroll. Bring each other breakfast in bed. Each one had been checked off with whatever writing utensil had been closest at the time. So it was a mess of ballpoint, sharpie, highlighter, pencil, and even crayon. Keith would read it every morning. Smiling into his tea.

Keith’s phone rings and his eyes fly open. He hadn't realized how heavy his eyelids had gotten. He scrambles for his phone, a smile breaking across his face as he answers. Lance is smiling at him through the screen.

“Hi, starlight. How are you?” His voice is kind of static and it makes Keith sad but he sits up, dragging his hippo with him.

“I’m better now that you called,” he says and Lance laughs, his eyes shining.

“I’ve missed you, baby.” Lance’s voice is soft, undertones in exhaustion. Keith wants to hold him, and if he could he would fly out to Tokyo.

“I’ve missed you too. I can’t wait until you get home.”

Lance beams at him again, his teeth gleaming. “Only what? Like seven days until I’m back in your arms?”

“Ah no, I am going to be in your arms and you are never going to let me go, in seven days,” Keith says matter of factly, giving Lance a pointed look.

Lance is laughing again and it fills Keith with elation. “That sounds just as good star.”

Keith sighs happily propping the phone up so he can see Lance as he flips onto his stomach, the hippos heavy bum cradling his chin. “So how was today?”

Lance heaves a laugh that is more a long drawn out sigh, “it was okay. I think I should learn Japanese, I feel really bad when I have to talk to fans through someone else. I think it would mean a lot if I learned their language you know?”

Keith nods, settling in to listen as Lance rants about how much he loves real Japanese food, and how he wants to take Keith with him just for the city.

“We need a trip where I don’t have to work star.” Lance looks at him meaningfully and Keith giggles hiding a yawn behind his hand. He never giggles unless he’s exhausted. Lance knows this, his face falls a little bit. “I can go if you want to sleep Keith.”

That gets a soft laugh out of Keith, “No. I have a week till I see you again, I am not going to sleep. You know me better than that Lance. Besides you look just as tired as I feel.”

“ Yeah. I don’t sleep well without you.” Lance admits softly.

Keith drops his eyes from Lance’s tracing a pattern along his hippo, “I don’t either.”

They lapse into silence, the slight static and noise of traffic filtering through Lance’s side. Finally, Lance clears his throat. 

“You’re quiet star. How was your day?”

Keith looks back up at him wincing slightly at the worried furrow between his brows. “I had a good day. I uh, I told Pidge that we’re getting married. They were slightly amazed.” Keith laughs lightly at the memory of Pidge’s deadpan look at they mocked him, then it turning into wide-eyed astonishment as they realize he wasn’t kidding. Lance laughs aloud.

“They still terrify me. Like Shiro? He’s a sweetheart after you get to know him, I still fear for my life when it comes to them.”

Keith breaths out a laugh before biting his lip, “I’m worried about Shiro.” he says quietly as if saying it in barely a whisper will take all of Shiro’s pain away. Would make it a lot less real.

“Keith. What happened?”

Keith tells him, throwing in his own guilt that he can’t help Shiro like he should be able to. Letting himself get worked up over the fear he feels for his older brother. It all comes bubbling up in him, rising in the back of his throat and onto his tongue like bile. Lance and Keith normally tried to keep their calls happy and carefree, neither of them liked being in the throes of sadness when the other wasn’t around, so they didn’t vent until they were with each other physically.

“And now I’m messing up the call. Fuck. I’m sorry Lance.” he wipes away at the tears that had stupidly started to roll down his cheeks. They were tacky and he sniffs heavily reaching towards the bedside table to grab a tissue. He blows his nose obnoxiously and looks back at Lance, nearly cringing at the look of devastation on Lance’s features.

“Star,” his voice is rough and Keith is sitting up taking the phone with him and knocking the hippo to the side.

“Lance, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this about me. I just, shit, I guess it bothered me more then I admitted to myself.”

Lance is waving his hands around, “Keith! Keith, it’s fine, I just don’t want you to be alone right now. Fuck, I wish I was there.”

Keith smiles weakly at him, “I wish you were here too, but at least I can talk to you.”

Lance looks a little lost and no less desperate but he nods anyway settling back from where he had moved physically closer to the camera. “You have Blossom right?” Lance asks and Keith can’t tell if he’s being serious or joking, but he reaches for his hippo anyways.

“Yeah, here he is.” he feels childish showing Lance that he has the hippo. He doesn’t sleep with him when Lance is home, and he had admitted that yes, he brought Keith so much comfort at night.

Lance nods in satisfaction, “Good. You know I would never leave if you didn’t have that hippo.”

Keith looks down at the plushy, “Well damn. I have to get rid of him now.”

Lance blinks before laughing clutching at his stomach and bending over his knees. It hit Keith in the face like a smack. It was the same laugh he has heard thousands of times, in moments where Keith manages to catch him completely off guard. It’s the same laugh that had made Keith’s stupid heart flip during that shit of an interview.

“How do you do that?!” Lance exclaims wiping at his eyes. “I swear Keith, we’ve been together for three fucking years and you still catch me off guard with stuff like that.” Lance is smiling again, and Keith shrugs.

“If Blossom is the reason you can leave then Blossom has to go. Simple as that.”

Lance laughs again, “Please don’t get rid of your hippo Keith.” Lance draws a leg up and Keith can see the dress pants he’s still wearing. ‘I meant that at least you have something to cuddle up with while I’m not there.”

Keith thumbs at Blossom’s nose, pouting, “Blossom is sadly a very poor substitute.”

“I’m sorry. I know it’s been a while.” Lance’s voice is subdued, and Keith just nods at dropping his eyes, before taking a deep breath and looking up, offering a smile to Lance.

“And I can’t wait for you to get back. I’ll be here. I always will.”

“I know star, and I’ll always come back.” 

It’s a stupid thing to do but he leans forward and presses his lips to the screen. He’s desperate to kiss Lance, even if it’s just a mimic of the action. When he pulls back Lance looks a little teary-eyed.

“Love you star,” Lance whispers.

“Love you, Lance.”

After they hang up, his phone is hungry for a recharge and it’s three in the morning.

Keith gets out of bed, walks to the kitchen, and writes, _kiss through a computer screen,_ on the list in purple Crayola marker.

He puts a check mark by it.


	2. Keith

Keith sets three alarms every night and always gets up at the first one.

Except today.

He hits snooze on all three twice and by the time he finally peels his eyes open he is going to be ten minutes late. He’s out of bed tripping on the blankets that come with him. He catches himself on the bedside table, his hip catching the side painfully. He gasps and coughs up a curse, something falls off and shatters against the floor. He knows what it is before he looks down and he feels like crying. The picture frame that has his letter and a picture of him and Lance lays in shattered glass on the floor. He bites his lip as he leans down to pick it up, piling the shattered glass onto the cracked frame. He pulls the letter out gingerly checking for damage and almost crying in relief when there isn’t any. He puts the picture and letter on the bedside table and rushes out of the room. He dumps the frame in the trash and scrambles back to his bedroom to get dressed.

He dresses quickly stuffs his laptop and papers into his bag, shoves a bagel he’s ninety percent sure is stale, and knows it is one hundred percent when it touches his tongue. He grimaces but crams the rest of it into his mouth. He makes a split-second decision and grabs his car keys instead of his bike keys. He has to speed too much for the bike to be safe. Then he’s out of the apartment in his car and speeding onto the highway.

If he weren’t having to speed he would have stopped to get a cup of tea and maybe a decent breakfast at Slyveters. He makes a commitment to go after work. He was going to need a wind down after dealing with his co-workers and boss.

The traffic is terrible and it occurs to Keith that he has never had to sit in eight-thirty traffic. He was normally at work by eight-thirty and missed this type of traffic. He sits in the sweltering L.A. sun and waits for the cars to move. 

He’s nearly thirty minutes late by the time he stumbles into the office. Everyone looks up at him and he ducks his head walking towards his cubicle. Acxa smiles at him with a little wince and Keith shrugs.

“Your shirt is stained,” she says quietly, handing him a cup of steaming liquid. She made coming to work worth it some days. He looks down at his shirt. It has a red stain on the bottom right corner. 

“Shit,” he says and sits down before anyone else can see it. Acxa raises an eyebrow at him.

“Are you good? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this frazzled.”

“Yeah, yeah I’m good.” he scrubs a hand up his face and starts to unload his stuff onto his desk. Acxa leans even further over to read the paper on the top of his packet. She looks up at him with a grimace.

“I forgot you had to do the Zarkon paper.” she sits back in her own area shaking her head, “I do not envy you.”

Keith sighs, “Well the guys as much of a scumbag as people say.” He boots up his laptop and nearly throws it out the window. Of all days to update.

“You didn’t tell him that did you?” Keith looks up a scowl already on his face. A man is leaning on his desk. He looks like a bobblehead, Keith and Acxa have spent way too much time making fun of it in the break room. His neck is long and skinny, and his head is the size of his ego. He smiles down at Keith with coffee-stained teeth that look like they’re covered in those whitening strips.

“No. I didn’t say that to him. The paper is exactly what it should be.” Keith says meeting the grin with a glare.

“Oh I’m sure it is Keith, you have yet to disappoint you know?” He laughs and Keith can see Acxa fake gagging from the corner of his eye. Keith is too weary for this. He had cried to much last night and he feels drained.

“What do you want Bob? Last time I checked you worked on the other side of the room.”

That grin doesn’t falter in the slightest and if anything Keith seemed to have said something that Bob wanted him to.

“Oh, I know. Right over there by the windows,” he points and Keith doesn’t look. Everyone is well aware that Bob brags about his seat by the window as if it’s something to be proud of. Keith thinks it’s just luck. “I came over to make sure you were getting settled in alright. It’s so strange to see someone get here late ya know? Especially you, I kind of wanted to see how the experience is.”

Keith’s eyes narrow. He really has no idea what Bob’s problem with him is. He isn’t the best writer there, hardly the youngest. He hasn’t done anything to him. Keith looks resolutely back at his laptop keeping the frustration that he feels towards it off of his face. Just as he thinks that Bob is gone, he hand is snatching Keith’s right one off of his keyboard.

“Oh my god! Keith!” His shriek is ear piercing and the distant murmur of conversation stops as the rest of the office peer over at them. Keith is pulled over his desk as Bob holds up his right hand to the light. “Who is the lucky guy! I didn’t even know you were gay, much less engaged!”

Keith is out of his chair grabbing Bob’s wrist before he can think better of it and pushing him harshly to the floor. It might have been an overreaction, but Keith had told three people. Only three. The engagement was meant to be a secret until announced to the public, or Lance’s terms. It could destroy a lot if anyone found out prematurely.

“That isn’t your business. If you don’t mind I have work to do.” he sits back down massaging at his temples. He can feel Acxa’s eyes boring into him. Biting at his lip he ignores her until the office goes back to order. When he can’t stand it anymore he turns to her. “What?”

She raises an eyebrow at him, “Nothing. I just, I think it’s weird I didn’t notice.”

Keith shrugs unconsciously curling his fists around the ring. “I mean I wasn’t really expecting you to.”

Acxa narrows her eyes, “We’re friends Keith. I should have noticed,” she smirks at him, “Glad I didn’t ask though.”

Keith cringes peering across the room where Bob is waving his hands around as he talks to his neighbor. “Yeah, I should probably apologize to him.”

Acxa snorts leaning back in her chair disrupting the pile of paper on her desk, “I wouldn't. The guy is an asshole, who names their child ‘Bob’ anyways?”

His computer is finally done updating and he sighs in relief as he lets out a laugh, “Pretty sure his name is Robert, and maybe he’s an asshole, but I don’t want to make the tension between us worse. I cannot afford to lose this job.”

Acxa blows out a breath, both eyebrows shooting high as she sits back. “Welp, do what you need.” she sends him a little smile before looking back at her own computer. Her long nails clacking away at the keys. Keith runs his hand through his hair grimacing. He needs a shower and his chest is aching. His absent fiance is once again forced to the front of his mind and Keith can hardly concentrate on his work, glancing at the clock like he’s in high school.

He works up the resolve to apologize to Bob at lunch, approaching him with his hand in his pocket. Bob glares up at him and Keith has to reign in his own bitter glare. He holds out his other hand in an offering.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I overreacted.”

Bob sniffs taking a sip of his coffee eyeing Keith’s hand. He drops it back to his side. “You’re lucky I didn’t report you for harassment.” He says and Keith can smell the coffee on his breath. He clenches his jaw counting to ten, fuck he feels like hitting something.

“You grabbed my hand first. Asking would have sufficed.”

Bob sets his coffee cup onto the table frowning deeply at Keith, “is it fake?”

Keith blinks opening and closing his mouth, he can feel his eyebrows draw together. “Is what fake?”

“Your “engagement”, Bod’s fingers curl around the quotation marks and Keith has to laugh a little.

“You think I would fake being engaged? My god, how pathetic would that be?” Keith could go on an entire spiel about how that makes no sense and why would he do that? But Bob feels like a waste of breath.

Bob shrugs his slight shoulders and Keith has to remind himself that he’s huge compared to the man in front of him. “You seem pretty boring, but something about you screams attention whore, that’s why you’re here right? So everyone will see what an amazing person you are?”

“Jesus Christ man, what the fuck? I came over to apologize because I pushed you onto your ass and I shouldn’t have.”

Bob shrugs and turns away, “Well, whatever but mark my words Kogane, I plan on writing the best story to come out of this year,” he looks back over his shoulder, “no matter what it’s about. Nice shirt by the way.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He’s unlocking his car desperate to go home, when his phone buzzes, his heart leaps but as he pulls it out he groans. 

**_Takashit:_ ** _Spearmint tea_

 **_Me:_ ** _what time?_

 **_Takashit:_ ** _six_

 **_Me:_ ** _okay. Is curty gonna be there?_

 **_Takashit:_ ** _ew keith, never call him that again. And no, why do you think I used the emergency code???_

Keith rolls his eyes. It was a stupid code for an even stupider situation, but Keith would rather not have to deal with Shiro going to prison for murder so whenever he gets it he goes with it.

 **_Me:_ ** _I can't believe you use commas but then three question marks and fine_

 **_Takashit:_ ** _Thank you!!! And I can use whatever and as many forms of punctuation as I want._

 **_Me:_ ** _okay weirdo see you in an hour_

He doesn’t have anything from Lance and his heart physically aches, twisting his stomach with it. He talked to Lance last night but it feels like an infinity ago. He checks his Instagram which he never does, he grimaces at himself feeling desperate. There isn’t much of anything new. More promotion for the movie, a few pictures of the venue, and then one of Lance arm and arm with the smiley host of whatever event he was at. The captions are cold and impersonal managing to make Keith’s lonely heart feel more hollow. He debates before sending a quick text to Lance. Just a quick _I love you_ , he knows he most likely won’t get a reply.

Spearmint tea is code for, Help me I’m having dinner with Slav. Shiro had to go to dinner with one of his sales representatives every month or so. Shiro who is already all nerves when it comes to throwing his ideas out there had already gone through five shirts and three breakdowns on the first dinner. Keith had stayed up waiting for him and he was just dozing on the couch when the door flew open with enough power to hit the wall. He doesn’t think he’s seen Shiro so...emotional before.

“I hated that. I hate him!” Shiro had said, pacing in front of the couch, his hands clenching and unclenching. Keith had watched in bemusement. _Hate_ was not a word Shiro would use liberally. The name Slav was introduced to Keith as a man who refuses to listen and lives in his own little world.

“He refused to shut up about my prosthetic. Literally, so Mr. Slav what do you think of this color and brush style? How do you think it will sell?” Shiro switched into a high pitched voice, which Keith knows for a fact Slav sounds nothing like. “Shiro, you know what is cool? Your arm? What happened to your real one? Did it get blown off?”

Keith had laughed and then winced, “I’m sorry Shiro, but hey you probably won’t get him next time.”

He got him every time, so he had asked if he could bring someone with him to dinner and the company had given him permission to take one other person with him. It had been Keith at first who had to sit through the frankly insensitive questions about Shiro’s arm and the scar across his nose. It was like the man had no interest in the product Shiro was trying to work with him about.

“We need a code word,” Shiro had said through a mouthful of hamburger. They had gone for burgers after the dinner and were now sitting in Shiro’s car in the parking lot of a Burger King. “Why?” Keith had asked, very muchly disturbed by everything that had transpired.

“So that way no one will know I’m talking about him when I need back up.”

Spearmint tea was what they decided on and Keith suspected it had to do with the man’s green-tinted hair.

The restaurant is nice, Keith could give that to the company, but he bever really ate anything. Neither did Shiro, it was almost ritualistic with them now. Sit through Slav refusing to talk about the makeup Shiro was pitching to him, rant about it on the way to get burgers, eat said burgers go home. 

Shiro told him when Curtis goes with him it normally ends up with tears at the end, when they're alone. 

He debates for a minute, glancing at the clock on the dash and thumbing at his ring. He doesn’t want to take it off, but the thing at the office spooked him today. Bod’s odd threat and even odder obsession with his engagement. He knows Lance doesn’t wear his ring on his finger in public opting instead to wear it on a chain. He bites his lip hard and finally thinks fuck it and leaves hie ring where it is. Fuck people and their opinions.

Shiro is standing at the entrance as he jogs up wearing some of his make up and toting a bag of it. He looks relieved when he sees Keith.

“Did you think I wasn’t coming?” Keith asks him with a grin. Shiro shrugs, going to bite his lip before stopping and taking a deep breath. His hands clench at his side and Keith frowns at the long sleeve shirt he’s wearing.

“Well I mean, if it were up to me to choose between sitting through this or abandoning my brother, I’d abandoned you.”

Keith scoffs and shoves him, “yeah right. I want to be there when Slav realizes that your makeup is the breakthrough he’s looking for. That way, I can walk around flaunting it couldn’t have happened without me.”

“Well sorry to break it to you but that might not happen,” Shiro says sadly glancing down at the bag. His eyes look sharp from the immaculate precision he had used to put on his eyeliner.

“Nah, I’m feeling lucky.”

They sit at their usual table and Keith orders his regular iced tea. The waitress smiles at him fluttering her eyelashes, he smiles awkwardly at her and turns his hand ever so slightly so she can catch a glimpse of his ring. 

Shiro’s leg is bouncing under the table and he’s taken to chewing at the straw of his drink the plastic mangled and molded into the shape of his teeth. He lets go of it as he sees Slav walking towards them with his odd little walk briefcase clutched in his hand. He slides into the chair across from Shiro sending a little smile at Keith. Shiro sets his drink on the other side of his arm and Keith discreetly discards the ruined straw. He watches the back and forth between them, his frown deepening with every word that comes out of Slavs mouth and every slump of his brother's shoulders.

“Shiro, Shiro listen,” Slav says, placing his hands over Shiro’s to keep it on the table, “Your product looks amazing, it really does, but you have no collateral. You have no models, and my dear that’s the place to start! Get your makeup on a model, get pictures out. You can't afford that.”

Keith watches Shiro slump back against his chair, he looks like he’s ready to give up.

“Let Shiro model it.” He says turning to Slav looking straight into the man’s eyes. Shiro looks at him in wonder and Keith rubs feverishly over his ring.

Slav looks away, his eyes falling onto Shiro and dragging his eyes up and down him, “I am not sure,” Slav says, twinkling his fingers at Shiro, “he would be the best.”

Shiro nods, “Keith thank you but I’m not,” he lets out a little self-deprecating laugh, gesturing to his arm and nose.

Keith turns to him, “ Your makeup is about being bold Shiro.” Slav makes a choking noise.

“But he’s huge! He is hardly a model!” 

Keith turns back to him, a smile peeling across his face and a fire burning in his stomach.

“Yeah he is, he’s big and scarred and has a prosthetic, and you know what? So do so many other people. So many people are big, or scarred or have disabilities. Break the stereotype. Let Shiro wear the makeup he’s poured so much of his soul into, let people see that makeup is for _humans.”_ he sits back catching his breath, “best part is, his boyfriend is a photographer on the side. You wouldn't have to worry about money. If it flops you don’t lose anything. If it doesn’t well…” Keith trails off and watches as Slav’s eyes narrow in consideration.

He turns to Shiro, “You have a boyfriend?” he sounds almost disappointed. Shiro nods numbly.

Keith’s phone buzzes in his pocket.

_Love you too star_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy hell I hate school.  
> Anyways, Lance will be back in the next chapter, so uh spoilers I guess.  
> Hope you enjoyed the Broganes in this chapter, I know I did.


	3. Keith

Someone is brushing their fingers through his hair, kissing his cheek, whispering _Keith_ with a smile. He’s groggy as his eyes crack. His room is still dark and the street light is still creating golden cracks in the blinds. It can’t be anywhere near time to get up, he thinks his eyes already falling back shut, but then he feels soft fingers brush his cheek. He turns his head and gasps softly.

“Oh my god, _Lance_!” he scrambles to wrap his arm around Lance’s neck pulling him down so their flush chest to chest, Lance awkwardly bending over the bed. Keith buries his head in Lance’s neck, clinging to him like he’s going to disappear. He isn’t sure he’s not dreaming. Lance laughs softly getting more fully onto the bed so he can hold Keith more securely. “You’re back.” Keith breathes, his eyes squeezing shut as he inhales Lance's familiar scent. 

“I’m back star, and god did I miss you,” Lance says pressing a kiss to Keith’s shoulder. They stay in their embrace until Keith feels the sluggish feeling of sleep start to pull at him again, and Lance has melted against him, his body completely slack against him. He’s still hanging halfway off the bed and Keith wants him completely on the bed, under the covers, and replacing Blossom.

“Are your shoes still on?” he slurs against Lance’s neck, bringing his hand up to paw at the back of his head, his fingers slipping through the soft locks of his hair. Lance mumbles something unintelligible, and Keith laughs. “Take them off and get in bed, you need to hold me.” He’s pouting and his eyes are barely open, but Lance complies struggling a bit to work his shoes off with his feet. They hit the floor with a dull thud and Keith is making grabby hands at his fiance, pulling him onto the bed. He maneuvers himself so his back is against Lance’s chest, curling around the tan arms that wrap around his waist. Lance leans over him a little more lucid, he turns Keith’s face gently and places a soft kiss on his lips, before he slips back under the covers and pulls Keith back against him.

The next morning Keith wakes to Lance’s firm arms around his waist and his soft breaths against his neck. It confuses him, not because he doesn’t remember Lance coming in the night before. He doesn’t understand why he is home already. It’s Saturday. Keith was supposed to go get Lance from the airport that evening. He rolls out of Lance’s grip and resettles himself so he can look at his face while he sleeps. He winces at the bags under his eyes, the skin looking bruised. The edited pictures on his Instagram had shown nothing of his apparent exhaustion. He runs his thumb under the delicate skin, he isn’t sure why Lance is home but he sure isn’t going to complain, and he sure isn’t going to get out of bed.

Keith watches Lance as he goes through the process of waking up. His eyelids fluttering, his mouth drawing up with his eyebrows in a soft scrunch before his face settles again with a breath out. Keith smiles at him leaning up to press a soft butterfly of a kiss to Lance’s chin. He is so lucky to get to watch this man wake up in the mornings. To watch the sun thread through his hair and the trail of drool that drizzles from Lance’s mouth. It’s something that Lance is constantly embarrassed about and Keith thinks it’s hilarious even when he assures him that it’s fine.

Lance’s blue eyes finally open and Keith smiles at him brushing his fingers up through his hair.

“Morning Lance,” his voice sounds too loud for the stillness of the morning and it goes soft as he says Lance’s name. Lance smiles leaning over to kiss Keith catching his lips. Keith makes an embarrassing noise somewhere between a moan and a sob. It squeaks out of his throat and Lance pulls him closer.

“You're crying star,” Lance says, pulling away. He’s close enough that their lips brush together as he speaks. Keith ducks his head and untangles one of his hands from Lance’s shirt to wipe at the tears that are streaming down his cheeks. Lance pulls his face back up and presses another kiss to his lips. “What’s wrong? My morning breath isn’t that bad is it?”

Keith laughs sitting up and wiping the rest of his tears away. “No, surprisingly it isn’t that bad. I’m just glad to see you. I’ve missed you.”

Lance sat yo to meet him, wrapping his arms around Keith, “Awww, babe! I missed you too!”

Keith rolls his eyes but squeezes Lance just as tight around the waist, “That and I’m kind of confused as to why you’re home already? What time did you get in last night?”

Lance drops his head onto Keith’s shoulder.

“I wanted it to be a surprise, I wasn’t expecting you to be asleep. Keith, you should have told me that our calls lined up at ungodly times.”

"Did you really think that I would tell you that?” Keith asks him. Lance makes an affronted noise putting his hands on Keith’s shoulders to push him away so he can look at his face. 

“Yes! Keith, I got home at one last night and you had yet to call me. I knew you must call super late. That’s not fair to you Keith.”

Keith frowns at him, ‘What wouldn’t be fair is if I couldn’t even talk to my fiance. I didn’t mind Lance.”

Both of their gazes are hard, and Keith knows neither one of them is going to let the other win on this, but Keith isn’t up for a debate. Not when Lance is here and warm and still sleep heavy in his arms. So he sighs and falls forward against Lance again. His eyes fluttering closed, his cheek squished against Lance’s steadily beating heart.

“Doesn’t matter right now. I’m just glad you’re home.” his words distort as he yawns. Lance kissed the top of his head.

“Okay star, whatever you say. Now, I really want to shower and I wouldn’t mind if you joined me.”

Keith’s eyes snap open, “Yes. I mean, yeah sure. A shower sounds nice.”

Their shower ended up last far longer than it should have and by the time they stumble out of their steam-filled bathroom Keith’s cheeks are pinked for many reasons. He leaves lance in the bedroom and wanders into the kitchen. He realizes his cabinets are virtually empty. There’s half a box of macaroni noodles, popcorn, and a can of tuna. Lance comes into the kitchen while he stares at the sadness of their cabinets. Lance drops a kiss to one of the love bites on his neck and then laughs at the sparse food.

“We have tea right?” Lance asks, walking towards the cabinet above the stove. Keith leans against the cabinet doors as he closes them. He’s overcome with happiness as Lance stretches up far enough that shirt rides up. Lance brings life back into their tiny little apartment. Just his presence made the room sing. 

He finds the tea and goes about making it, Keith watches him in leisure before he determines to make something for breakfast, even if it ends up being a disaster.

“So,” Lance says, getting down a mug. “Tell me more about Shiro’s modeling.”

“Oh!” Keith pulls a pan out, the only pan they have, and puts it on the stove. “He’s really excited, but also he’s being Shiro about it you know?” He turns to grin at Lance who nods meaningfully.

“He knows that he’s going to rock it right?” Lance says pausing as he takes a sip of his tea. Keith shrugs. Turning back to the pancakes he’s attempting to make.

“I think sometimes he does, but sometimes he’s convinced it’s not going to go anywhere.” by some luck they have eggs and half a gallon of milk in the fridge. Keith can’t help but feel embarrassed as he pours the rest of it into the bowl. He hardly functioned this week. Between Shiro starting his project, his late nights, and the tensions at work, Keith had neither the time nor energy to even think about going shopping. He lets out a breath and mixes his concoction, turning away from Lance as he heats the pan on the stove. He doesn’t hear Lance come up behind him and startles as he turns him around with gentle hands on his shoulders.

“And how are you, Keith?” Lance’s eyes search his face. Keith smiles shakily at him shrugging a little bit.

“I’m tired, and I missed you. A lot.” 

One of the biggest things both Lance and Keith had learned through being together was the importance of talking to one another. Rarely did Keith feel the need to keep his anxieties a secret from Lance, he lets himself be more vulnerable with Lance. Lance knows things about him Shiro doesn’t and probably never will.

Lance makes a noise, leaning forward to press his lips to Keith’s forehead. “I missed you too. More then you know, more then I thought my self capable of.”

Keith sighs, closing his eyes and leaning against his fiance, “You never cease in saying the cheesiest stuff.”

Lance scoffs pressing a kiss to Keith’s ear this time, "You started it star, but seriously, you’re more stressed then I think I’ve ever seen you.”

“It’s been a hell of a week, and I’m worried about the wedding.” he winces biting the inside of his cheek as Lance tenses against him, “And I know Lance, I know you’re crazy busy, and I’m willing to wait, but,” he sighs again and Lance plants his hands on Keith’s shoulders pushing him gently away so he can look at him.

“ I think I’m ready to tell everyone.”

Keith grabs his wrists, “Lance. You don’t have to do that just because of me.”

Lance laughs, "Keith, it’s your wedding as much as it is mine. I want my fiance to be happy. I want to tell the world about the wonderful man I plan on marrying."

"Lance. I-I, w-when?"

Lance twirls him around in a circle causing Keith to let out a surprised yelp, Lance laughing all the way. "I was thinking we could do it at the after-party for _Omega Sheild."_

"You die in that movie Lance," Keith says frowning. Lance tosses his head back and laughs.

"Keith, baby," he has to pause to still his shaking shoulders. "Keith, it’s a movie."

Keith frowns deeper, his eyebrows drawing together. He crosses his arms putting them between Lance and himself. Lance sighs making a pouty face.

"Keith! Nooo, I’m holding you! You need to be held!” Keith moves away from Lance further just to make him chase him.

"I already told you that I wasn’t going to go see that one because I don’t want to see you die."

Lance is laughing again and Keith grabs a dishtowel that's handing on a cabinet. He whaps it across Lance’s thigh as he lunges towards him. It starts a chase around the kitchen Lance making way to much noise, laughing, and gawhafing sending overdramatic pleas at Keith. He catches Keith around the waist as he tries to run past him on their ninth round. Keith shrieks and Lance smothers his neck in kisses. Lance leans him back across the table, sliding his hands up Keith’s sides, up his shirt. Keith squirms at little at the change of temperature. The atmosphere has changed a little bit. The joy is quieter now, more still as Lance lays kisses across Keith’s neck. Keith runs his fingers into Lance’s hair pulling him closer as he leans up to kiss lance’s forehead. 

"I want to marry you, now. Right now." Lance says when he finally gets up to Keith’s lips, pressing kisses to the corner of his lips, and then brushing their lips fully together. Keith closes his eyes capturing Lance's lips more fully against his.

"I want to marry you right now too."

Lance hums, his lips fluttering over Keith’s eyelids, down to his ear to nip at it. Keith shudders against him. He feels Lance grin against the shell of his ear, "I’ll marry you right now, and no one has to know."

Keith frowns, his hands falling from Lance’s hair down to his shirt to grip the front of it, "Do you prefer if no one knew?" Keith asked his voice was a little quieter then he wanted it to be, a little sad. Lance’s lips pause and Keith’s heart falls a little bit. Lance is pushing himself up on his elbows to look down at Keith. His eyebrows are scrunched and the dark lust that had filmed his eyes is slowly receding.

"Of course. I want to yell it off the tallest building. I want everyone to know, but at the same time. I want a quiet wedding, with my family and yours, maybe out in the forest by your cabin." Lance lifts a hand to swipe Keith’s bangs out of his face, " I want you to be comfortable and safe, I don’t want you to deal with the media."

Keith nods, “I know. But I don’t care just as long as I have you,” he drops his eyes hating himself for feeling the way he has been for the last couple of weeks. “ I just, if it would help your public image to not say you're marrying the guy that caused all the drama a few years ago, I understand.”

He feels Lance freeze against him, and he hesitates to look back up at Lance’s face. He winces when he sees the anger in Lance’s eyes, “What the fuck Keith?”He’s standing up completely now crossing his arms over his chest and Keith sits up as well.

“It’s just that, I don’t know, and maybe I’m just stressed, but I’m nothing compared to what people probably think you’re worth.”

Lance’s eyes flash again, “Where is this coming from? What happened to “ I don’t give a fuck about people’s opinions,” I don’t understand.”

Keith cringes. Maybe Bob’s nagging had gotten to him more then he thought it had. The fear that Bob knows something is terrifying to him, and the little backhanded comments that hit a little to close to home for him. He turns his face away from Lance exhaustion hitting him full force all over again.

“It’s stupid I guess. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not stupid Keith. This is important to talk about. I don’t want you feeling,” Lance’s face wrinkles and he waves his hands around like he can’t find the words he wants to say. “ _Inferior_ , or some shit to me. I can marry who I want, and I want you.”

Keith nods and Lance sighs wrapping his arms back around Keith’s shoulders.

“I wish you had brought this up sooner star. I’m worried about you.”

Keith buries his head in Lance’s shoulder, breathing in the smell of his soap and something that is uniquely Lance.

“It’s okay Lance, it really is. I guess I just,” he shrugs. He’s out of words to say, and so far the words were still muddled in his brain his own feelings not making sense to him. How was he supposed to explain to Lance what he’s feeling if he doesn’t even really know what he’s feeling? So he doesn’t for now, maybe the words will come to him. 

“I love you Keith, and it breaks my heart a little bit that you are feeling this way.”

“I love you too, and I want you to know that if you’re ready, I’m ready.”

They stand together by the table, Lance drawing shapes up and down Keith’s back. Keith could fall back asleep like this when his eyes fly open and he’s scrambling out of Lance’s arms.

“Fuck!” the stovetop is on fire and he grabs the baking soda out of the cabinet over the sink to dose the flames. The single pancake he had managed to get on the griddle was nothing more than a charcoal briquet. He stares at it in defeat and turns towards Lance, he’s laughing so hard he’s leaning on the table clutching his stomach. Keith throws a potholder at him but can forgive him as he walks over to the list on the fridge grabs a pencil and writes, _burn breakfast together._

He puts a checkmark by it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to try and make an update schedule with this, but wowie. Life is insane right now. I am doing three different types of school right now, and the whole online thing is not helping my cause, also I started a new project. Peach Sunrises, Lavendar Sunsets, so I'm going to be working a lot on that as well. SO I guess what I'm trying to say is I will try to update this as much as I can. 
> 
> Also, there will be POV changes and I hope I can do that smoothly, but it is going to heavily be in Keith's point of view. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting and kudos. It means a lot.
> 
> sorry if I haven't replied to comments, I have read them, and thank you for the feedback.


	4. Lance

To say that Lance is worried about his fiance would be an understatement. He had sent Keith back to bed as soon as their meager breakfast was over, allowing himself to climb back into bed with him for a few minutes until he was sure Keith was asleep. He combed his fingers through Keith’s hair and scrolled through his phone. He was distracted though. Keith’s words had been so out of character it had thrown Lance for a loop. In fact the complete disorder Keith seemed to be in sent Lance for a loop. It wasn’t like his fiance to be so insecure, that was his job. Keith was supposed to be all glares, and honesty, not downcast eyes and stammered words. It worried Lance and filled him with more guilt than he thought possible. He hadn’t been around as much as he wanted to be, and it was weighing on both of them. 

He gets out of the bed as slowly as possible, cringing with every dip he causes as he scoots across the mattress. Keith doesn’t stir and Lance is confident that he can leave his fiance for a few hours. He calls Shiro as he ties his shoes, holding his phone to his ear and pausing as he catches sight of Keith's computer bag thrown dejectedly to the floor by the door. He can see the corner of Keith’s laptop peeking out.

“Hey, Lance! I didn’t think you were back yet,” Shiro’s voice is loud and Lance laughs as he moves the phone away from his ear.

“Yeah, I got back last night, a bit of a surprise for Keith,” Lance says reaching for Keith’s bag and digging for the sticky notes he knows Keith has. He refuses to leave without a note, so he jots down that he’s going shopping, for Keith to take it easy and that Lance loves him before he smooths it onto the wall separating the kitchen from the living room.

“Oh, I bet he was happy. If I had to hear him complain about missing you for one more day I was gonna scream.”

Lance laughs stepping out into the still cool morning air, “Yeah I bet, speaking of which, want to go shopping with me?”

“Like suit shopping or regular old boring shopping?”

Lance had promised to take Shiro suit shopping with him, Keith is going to wear his dad's suit. They’d found it in the cabin and Lance had all but begged him to wear it.

“Well, our cabinets consist of popcorn, noodles, and a can of tuna, so regular old shopping.”

Shiro heaves a sigh, “Fine. It’s not like I’m doing anything important, but why aren’t you going with Keith? Where is he anyway?”

“I sent him back to bed this morning, I was gonna go alone but I need to talk to you.” he hadn’t wanted to admit that to Shiro, hoping the conversation would naturally fall to Keith’s weird behavior and his worry for his brother.

“Okay, yeah.”

They meet at a cafe, not Slyvesters, Lance has dubbed that place as sacred ground. It’s his and Keith’s. Shiro is waiting by the door when Lance walks up, his eyes accented with brown and black eyeshadow.

“Keith told me about your make up deal,” Lance says when they take a seat by one of the long windows. Shiro had ordered a muffin and coffee, Lance had ordered an iced tea. Shiro nods, taking a deep breath.

“Yeah. It’s...exciting.” Shiro winces at himself and takes a bite of his muffin. “It kinda came out of nowhere. Like, I was rejected so many times, and Slav seemed so uninterested in my products. I’m not sure I'm as ready as I thought I was, and then Keith.” Shiro shakes his head incredulously, but a smile breaks across his lips. “ That boy is better with words then he thinks he is. He literally wrote my entire webpage and message.” Shiro is pulling out his phone, he messes with it for a bit before handing it to Lance. Grabbing his muffin right after and shoving it the rest of the way into his mouth.

The webpage is simple but eye-catching, and Keith's words really bring to life the products on display.

“I think your message is perfect Shiro,” he says, handing the phone back. “He also mentioned you modeling for it?” 

Shiro lets out another big breath and seems to regret eating the rest of his muffin, “Yeah. Curtis is gonna take pictures, and I’m gonna wear it,” he breaks off uncertainty, tracing his fingers through the crumbs and condensation on the table. “But I have this little voice in the back of my head telling me that my face will make it unappealing.”

“Shiro, come on. You’re going to rock it.”

“Yeah, that’s what everyone is saying. Anyways, the more I talk about it the more I get anxious. So, what did you want to talk to me about?”  
It’s Lance’s turn to let out a breath, “How has Keith been lately?”

Shiro chews his lip, sits back, and crosses his arms,” Lonely, that’s for sure. Kinda tense, really tired, but I know he hates his job so I figured it was just from that. He had to write a paper on an asshole politician. The guy speaks out loudly against us gays, and women's rights, and anything that should be simple human rights. I know that stressed him out. He is determined not to lose another job though.”

Lance nods tracing the rim of his glass. He can feel Shiro watching him, his demeanor always shifts when they talk about Keith, drawing himself up and smoothing his face into a neutrally stern expression.

“Why Lance? Is something going on I should know about?”

“Yeah,” Lance admits. Guilt is churning heavy in his gut and he can feel sweat bead on the back of his neck. “ This morning he seemed odd,” he selfishly goes for the easier route.

“Odd how?” Shiro asks again and Lance swears his voice is getting darker.

“You know how Keith doesn’t give a fuck about what people say?” he gets a nod, “Well this morning I told him I was ready to tell people. Hopefully next month, then I mentioned the possibility of a private wedding, and he was questioning whether or not he is worth it. I’ve never seen him so insecure. Angry and hurt yes, but man. It was weird.” Lance bites hard into his lip, chancing a glance up at Shiro.

“You’re right, as I said he’s been stressed and tense lately, maybe it just registered weird in his mind that you suddenly are okay with it becoming public. I mean you guys have told like ten people in total? And that’s a maybe.”

And there it is, Lance shakes his head, “that’s the other thing. I haven’t told my family.”

Shiro’s silence is palpable and Lance drops his eyes again. He wishes they had gone shopping first now, that way he could at least escape Shiro and be useful at the same time.

“What the fuck Lance.”

“I know! I know okay?” he presses his palms into his eyes, slumping into his chair.

Shiro isn’t having it, leaning forward against the table, “Lance you  _ told  _ us that you had. You told Keith, what the hell? Why didn’t you?”

Lance rubs his palms into his eyes hard enough for fireworks to burst beneath his eyelids. “My family is crazy. They already are attacked by the media every once and a while, just because they’re  _ my _ family.”

“Okay, I get that but Lance, that isn’t fair to Keith.” Shiro’s eyes go wide and he looks like he wants to shake Lance, “do you want a private wedding so your family doesn’t find out?”

Lance’s hands drop and he stares at Shiro with watering eyes, “No! I want a private wedding so Keith won’t be thrown into the toxic opinions of the press! You’ve seen the fucking covers of the tabloids, Shiro! They’ll be predicting how long it will take for me to leave Keith, or they’ll try to nitpick everything either of us says! I’m not ready for the world to know Keith yet!” Lance snaps his mouth shut regretting the words as soon as they leave his mouth, “Shiro that’s not what I meant.”

Shiro’s eyebrows are furrowed, “I think you have some shit to think through Lance, and I also think I’m not the person who should be hearing this. Make up your mind, you told Keith this morning that you’re ready, but you’re telling me that you don’t want people to see him. This isn’t protecting him, this is hurting him.”

“I know,” Lance croaks.

“Do you want to marry my brother?” Shiro’s voice is deadly serious and it feels like a punch in the gut.

“Fuck Shiro, of course I do, more than anything.”

Shiro’s eyes soften and he lets out a just as soft sigh, “ I know you do, and I know that you have reasons to be wary of announcing your engagement, but please. Please talk to Keith, think about this, don’t say things that will make both of you hope things. If you need more time let yourself have it, and for god sake Lance, please tell your family.”

“I think I should admit to Keith that I lied first,” Lance winces. Shiro nods in agreement picking his coffee back up. He pauses before he can take a sip.

“Maybe you should just ask Keith what’s going on with him, it might help both of you.”

Lance nods picking up his own drink and finishing it off even as a knock grows in his stomach. “I’ll tell him tonight.”

Shiro nods satisfied, “Cool, also, if you need a place to sleep afterward, you can always call.”

Lance chokes, sputtering tea from between his lips, “What?! You think he’ll kick me out?!”

Shiro smiles and shrugs, “No idea. Now let's go shopping.”

Shiro gets up and Lance follows him with a glare, as they step out of the little cafe Lance slips back on his sunglasses and sees the unmistakable flash of a camera out of the corner of his eye.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lance gets home later than he thought he would, the sun is going down as he stumbles through the door, his arms are loaded with bags and he deposits them onto the kitchen counter with a sigh of relief. He looks around his silent apartment, nothing seems to have been moved since he left. He thought surely Keith would have been up and about after he had left. Their bedroom door is closed as Lance walks down the hall and as he tries the handle it’s locked. He raps his knuckles against the door.

“Keith?” there's a muffled noise, and then Keith’s hushed voice telling someone they have to be quiet. Lance blanches and leans away from the door. He can hear Keith’s hurried footsteps in the room before a door opening and closing, with even more pleas for someone to stay quiet. Lance isn’t sure what to think, his heart is sinking, maybe this is why Keith is acting so weird. The door is flying open then and Keith is shoving himself out to lean clumsily on the door frame. His shirt is mussed and his hair is slipping from the bun it’s piled in.

“Hi, Lance! I uh, wasn’t expecting you to be home yet.” Keith is twisting his fingers together and avoiding Lance’s eyes.

“Yeah, uh, I see that. What's going on?”

Keith goes pale, or well more pale, and shoves his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, “Nothing is going on. W-Why do you think that?”

Lance feels annoyance tick in the back of his mind. He folds his arms over his chest, “Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that you’re standing in the door of our bedroom blocking it from me.”

“No, I’m not. You can go in if you want, I-I mean it is your room too.”

Lance frowns at him and then pushes past him into the room. Keith follows him closely behind. Lance pauses and stares at his bed,  _ their  _ bed. The blankets are draped across the floor and the sheets are tangled. He turns slowly towards Keith's anger and betrayal sizzling in his veins.

“What the  _ fuck _ Keith!” he growls and Keith jumps running his hands down his legs.

“Listen, I knew you wouldn’t like it,”

“Yeah no shit Keith!” he snarls at him and Keith blinks at him, making Lance angrier. “Were you really that lonely? Huh?”

Keith steps back away from him his eyes huge as he stares at Lance, “W-well I mean that was definitely part of the reason, but he was just down there and I thought,”

“Thought what?! That you’d just bring him up here!”

“Yes!” Keith throws out his arms, “I didn’t think he’d be that crazy!” he throws a hand to the destroyed bed. Lance stares at him because  _ what the fuck _ ? Why is his fiance acting like Lance hasn’t just caught him cheating?

“You have got to be kidding me,” Lance says turning away from Keith and rubbing a hand over his mouth.

“Lance,” Keith’s voice is quiet and he sounds sad, but not remorseful like he should. “ I didn't think you’d be this angry. If I had known I would have never,” he breaks off and Lance whirls around.

“You didn’t think I’d be mad?!” he’s yelling now, he doesn’t think he’s ever yelled at Keith like this but he’s angry and heartbroken. Keith is stepping back from him even more, his eyes going bright with tears.

“N-no, I thought that maybe you wouldn’t l-like him very much, “ Keith’s lips tremble and Lance refuses to let that change his mind or heart over the whole situation. A single tear drips out of Keith’s eye and he wipes it away with the sleeve of his sweater. “I d-didn't expect you to y-yell at me about it. I thought you’d just say I c-couldn’t keep him.”

Lance pauses, his face slackening, and the anger starting to simmer out of him, “Keith, what are you talking about?”

Keith runs his sleeve under his nose, frowns at it before dropping his head and shuffling over to the closet that has been jammed shut. He opens it and kneels down to lean further into the dark confines. Lance feels cold shame fill him as Keith baby talks a puppy out of the closet. He picks the little black dog, cradles him to his chest and turns guiltily towards Lance. The dog yips, Keith presses a kiss to his little ear and Lance feels like the worst person on the planet.

“Oh my god,” he whispers and then watches helplessly as Keith deflates.

“I know, but I heard him crying and it was so hot outside, I couldn’t leave him there. I already looked up a shelter we can take him to. I’m sorry I kept him a secret.”

“Keith,” Lance crosses the room towards him and wraps him in his arm, smushing the puppy between them. “I’m so sorry.” 

“What are you apologizing for?” Keith asks, pushing out of Lance’s arms and smoothing his hand over the dog's ears.

“For yelling at you. That wasn’t okay, at all. I should have waited for you to explain before making assumptions.”

Keith cocks his head and the puppy copies the movement, “You don’t want a dog, which makes sense I mean, we’re both busy, especially you, but look at him Lance,” Keith holds the puppy higher and Lance can’t help but smile at bright eyes and floppy tongue.

“He’s adorable, and I don’t mind if we get a dog, especially a stray, I just,” Lance looks down, “I thought you were cheating on me.”

Keith stares at him when Lance looks up after the silence has become too thick for them. Keith opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again, looks around the room, and starts to laugh.

“Lance! Lance you idiot! I thought you were made about the dog,” he’s laughing hard, his hair bobbing and the dog’s tail slapping against his stomach. He reaches for Lance whose face is bright red. Wrapping an arm around Lance’s neck he smashes a kiss to Lance’s cheek. “You’re funny Lance. I would never.”

“I know, which is what made my reaction so awful. I made you cry,” Lance says, hating himself for it. Keith lets go of him and steps back.

“Well, I was acting weird, and I guess it is a pretty suspicious scene.” Keith smiles at him, and Lance tries to return it but it doesn’t really work. Keith strokes his cheek, “Lance it’s okay.”

Lance shakes his head, “No, it isn’t. I’m so sorry, and while we’re here I have something to tell you.”

His tone must be enough to convey the seriousness of what Lance has to say. He puts the dog on the bed and takes a seat next to him. Patting the spot next to him Lance bites his lip before he sits down.

“So, uh, before I tell you this I want you to know that I know this was a shitty thing to do.” he can feel Keith tense at his side, and he has to take a deep breath, “I haven’t told my family yet Keith.”

“Oh.” 

This was not the right time to tell him. Lance wishes he could take back everything he has said or done in the last half an hour. He’s stressing out the person he loves who he was already aware of being stressed.

“I’m sorry Kieth.” it sounds pathetic. Weak compared to the admission.

“You lied to me.” it wasn’t a question, just a dry statement. Lance nods and Keith gets off the bed to pace in front of it.

“Why didn’t you tell them? Or at least tell me you didn’t?” Keith’s fists are balled and the puppy is looking between them. Lance stands up too.

“I wanted to tell you! And I want them to know!”

Keith glares at him, and it burns into Lance, “Do you really want them to? Really?”

Lance frowns. “Yes! Obviously.”

“It doesn’t seem obvious Lance! God, I love you but I’m so confused! What do you want? Do you want me to stay silent in the shadows? I will, I’ve told you I will, but don’t hide me from your family!”

“I’m not hiding you, Keith. I just god, I don’t know.”

Keith stares at him in disbelief, “You don’t know? Lance, do you realize that it was terrifying to tell my brother that I was engaged to an actor? Do you think that was easy for me? Do you think that being away from you and pretending you don’t exist is easy for me?”

“We said that we would both be fine with the way things worked Keith. You said that.” Lance exclaims his voice rising again and the dog yips again.

“You said that we would talk to each other Lance. You are so hard to communicate with sometimes. It’s like you don’t even try!”

Lance will forever regret the words that tumble out of his mouth next because they are not true in the slightest, and Lance has no idea how to deal with his guilt without hurting others. 

“Yeah well, you are so hard to love sometimes Keith. It’s like you don’t even try.” he watches Keith’s face fall then close off, tears springing back into his eyes but his jaw locking in angry defiance. Lance raises a hand to touch him, reassure him that Keith isn’t hard to love, he’s so easy to love. Everything has erupted into a mess of anger and hurt and Lance wants to erase everything that’s happened. Keith points stiffly towards the door.

“Get out of my room,”

“Keith,” Lance has no room to plead but he needs to fix this. Keith shakes his head though his lips pressed tight.

“Get. Out. Of. My. Room.” Keith grits and Lance goes, wincing as he hears the lock click shut behind him. 

He puts the groceries away, with bleary eyes and whispered words of self-hatred. He collapses onto the couch after he’s done. There’s a blanket draped across the back of the couch, he pulls it down and wraps himself in it falling sideways against the cushions. He can see down the hall towards his room. There isn’t light spilling onto the hardwood floor, but he thinks Keith might still be awake. Some selfish part of him wishes he was still awake. He traces the ring on its chain wondering what he could do to make things better between them. He rolls over tears stinging his eyes again. He misses Keith’s warmth in his arms, it’s like he’s back in those huge hotel rooms. Impersonal, and cold. He supposes he deserves it. As he closes his eyes, his hand wrapped around his ring he gets a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that it’s his turn to go to Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is confusing, I know. It feels like lance is going back and forth and making a lot of stupid mistakes. He is, for sure, but it will all be worked out in due time.
> 
> Thank you, readers and commenters, and the people who kudos. It means so much!
> 
> And I guess it gets better? But it gets worse again before it gets better.
> 
> Updates are iffy, because life is iffy, and I am busy. I will try to update every two weeks??? I don't know, we'll see.


	5. Lance

Lance wakes up to a sense of loss and an aching back. He blinks against the bright sunlight pouring through the kitchen window and bouncing off the honey colored wood of their table and into his eyes. He sits up groggily groaning at the pain in his neck and the way his jeans scuff against his ankles. He’s tangled in a blanket he doesn’t remember wrapping up in last night. It’s larger than the one that was on the back of the couch and smells distinctly like Keith. It makes Lance's stomach hurt and his eyes sting. Last night was the first time in three years that Lance hadn’t told Keith he loves him before they went to sleep. That thought has Lance scrambling off the couch and tripping down the hall towards the bedroom. Lance stops short as he sees the door is cracked, there still is no light shining out so Keith is either still asleep or he isn’t even there anymore. Lance prays it’s not the latter.

He waits like a coward outside of the door, chewing on his thumbnail and grasping his ring. How is he supposed to make this better, how is he supposed to sort out the chaos in his brain. His downward spiral is cut off by the little pattering click of paws crossing the hardwood floor. The puppy peeks out of the crack in the door, startles at the sight of Lance and then cocks his head in confusion. Lance crouches down and offers a hand out for the little guy to sniff, becoming him out of the room. When he comes, pushing the door open with a creak, Lance scoops him up and gets a good look at him.

He’s adorable, but with clear signs of neglect in the patchy fur and pronounced ribs. He stares at Lance with big brown eyes, a little pink tongue lolling out of his mouth. Lance sighs, he’s going to have to let Keith keep him.

“I messed up little guy. Really bad, and I’m going to try and make it right.” he puts the puppy back on the floor, “just wait out here. I don’t know how this is going to go.”

The puppy dutifully doesn’t follow him as he steps quietly into the room. It’s dim inside and Lance can just barely make out the top of Keith's head peeking out from under the heavy comforter. Lance takes a breath and sits down on the bed. He reaches for the comforter and pulls it down gently over Keith’s face. He pauses as Keith’s eyes open, dark iris’s training on him. Lance thinks maybe Keith is going to yell at him to leave again, but he’s already made up his mind that he isn’t going to do that, not until Keith knows he didn’t mean anything that fell out of his mouth last night.

Lance reaches out and brushes delicately over Keith’s bangs, feeling a bit more confident as Keith doesn’t swat his hand or move away.

“I love you Keith,” Lance says, bending to press a kiss to Keith's exposed forehead. “i’ m so sorry.”

Keith is shifting and Lance starts to pull away, but Keith wraps an arm securely around his back. “I know you love me,” Keith’s voice is wrecked. It sounds like he swallowed a cheese grater, and Lance winces. “ I love you too, but this isn’t going to work if you won’t talk to me. This isn’t going to work if you really feel like I’m too much.”  
“Oh Keith,” Lance can feel tears filling his eyes and a lump trapping itself in his throat. “I didn’t mean that.”

“It had to have come from somewhere Lance. People don’t just say stuff like that. I know I-I’m hard to love. I know.”

“You aren’t, but,” Lance squeezes his eyes shut allowing himself to breath before looking down into Keith’s eyes, “I’ve never loved someone like you. I’ve never been loved _by_ someone like you. It’s real, and that’s terrifying.”

Keith sits up now, his hair is a rats nest, and his cheek as a red imprint of his hippo which was smashed flat under his cheek. Lance can make out tear stains that run whiter against his already pale skin. The skin under his eyes looks bruised, dark purple and deep. Keith slumps against him and Lance wraps an arm around him.

“I wasn’t really talking about you Keith,” Lance admits, pressing his cheek to the top of Keith's head. “I was talking about myself, because fuck, you’re so right. I don’t talk to you like I should,” he laughs a little bitterly, the tears in his eyes becoming dangerously close to falling, “and if I was dating me I’d find it hard to love me. I don’t try hard enough for you Keith. I’m sorry. You aren’t hard to love Keith.”

Keith lets out a heartbreaking shaky sigh, but reaches for Lance’s hand, gripping it tight.

“I slept like shit last night. I sleep like shit whenever you’re gone but last night was just _wrong_. I should have come out and talked to you, I just. I don’t understand what happened.” he sounds so tired, and Lance hates himself a little bit. “ After I thought about it for a little bit I was angry, I think I still am, but I don’t want this to ruin things.” 

“Me neither Keith.”

Keith looks him straight in the eye, his lips drawn tight, “We have to talk to each other Lance. We have to tell each other what we’re feeling. Please.”

“I know, I’ll try.” Lance says running his thumb over Keith’s knuckles. “Tell them with me. I think this is something we should do together. You can even tell my mom how I fucked up again.”

Keith laughs softly, but nods, “ Okay.”

They agree that they’ll call Lance’s family that night and then they sit on their bed and eat some of the new cereal Lance brought home. Keith had let the puppy back in, and lance let himself lean back and watch as his fiance interacted with the puppy. He feels content if not ashamed. Keith still looks tired, like a little bit of life has escaped him. Even as he laughs at the puppy tumbling over himself towards the end of the bed. He finally looks up after Lance had stared at him in contemplation for a few minutes.

“What?” he asks it quietly, tucking the puppy into his arm. Lance shrugs, leaning across the pillows to put his bowl onto Keith’s bedside table. The frame that is normally there is gone, and the letter rests with the picture under the lamp.

“I just want to say I’m sorry again. I was frustrated, and confused, and frankly scared,” he laughs a little raking his hands up through his hair. “That doesn’t matter though, you didn’t deserve what I said to you and I’m sorry.”

Keith’s bowl joins his and then Lance’s lap is full of his dark haired fiance and a squirming puppy. Keith tucks himself close, and Lance is once again so grateful for the little bit of height he has on his fiance. “You’re right, it was a super shitty thing to say, but I forgave you last night when the bed got too big and cold. I hate being angry with you, I’m not very good at it anymore. I guess I’m more hurt.”

Lance had been on the end of his mothers and teachers and directors and even _Shiro_ , telling him that they weren’t mad, just disappointed. Each one of these instances made me want to shirk into a tiny little ball and stop existing. Keith’s quiet admission though, feels like a slap to the face. Before Lance can open his mouth and try to remedy the situation, Keith is sighing.

“And that’s okay I think. We are two different people, and you can be annoying and I can be cruel, we aren’t supposed to always be perfect.”

“You’re right I guess, just, ugh. I never want this to happen again.”

Keith laughs at him, pressing a kiss to the underside of Lance’s jaw, “trust me Lance, there will be times both of us sleep on the couch again.”

If Lance could he would have made them go back to sleep, but Keith untangles himself from Lance as the puppy starts to gnaw on his wrist. Keith sets him down on the floor nudging him lightly with his foot towards the door.

“Go on Petal,” 

Lance snorts from the bed and Keith scowls at him. Lance raises his hands in mock surrender, “It’s an odd name baby.” he gets Keith’s shirt in the face for his comment.

“His ears are soft, like flower petals Lance, and I already have a hippo named Flower and a hippo named Blossom, I can’t reuse names.”

He’s ranting at Lance as he strips out of his pajama pants and Lance remembers in slight disgust that he had slept in his jeans. He chooses to stay in them for a while, just to admire Keith’s back and thighs as he bends into their closet, well, Keith’s closet really. It makes him a bit sad that so little of himself is in their apartment. It’s something he wants to fix so he decides he’s going to. He gets up then, pushing himself off the bed with a groan and slumping over to where Keith is pulling out a pair of jeans.

‘Remind me to do laundry,” he mumbled as he kicked a small pile of dirty clothes in the closet. Lance grunts in acknowledgment, pulling his shirt over his head and shucking off his pants feeling a nice little feeling of domestic familiarity in the mundane action of getting dressed together, well until he realizes he hadn’t even unpacked his suitcase. He looks at it sheepishly and Keith leaves the room behind him muttering something about calling Shiro. He pops his head back into the room as Lance is pulling on a fresh pair of jeans.

“Do you want to come with me? I’m taking the puppy to the pound.” 

Lance squints at him, ‘Why the hell are you taking the puppy to the pound?”

Keith frowns, “Uh, so he can maybe find a good home?”

“You don’t want him?”

“Of course I want him.”

“Then why are you taking him to the pound?!” Lance throws his hands out in exasperation and Keith comes fully into the room folding his arms over his chest.

“Um, because I didn’t think you were serious last night when you said I could keep him.”

“Keith. Seriously?” Lance can’t help but grin a little bit at him, even though his heart aches at the fact that their fight had rattled Keith a lot more than he thought it had.

Keith sticks his tongue out at him, “Well we were saying things we didn’t mean last night, and plus he peed on your shoes, I thought that might influence your choice.”

“What?!He peed on my shoes?! Keith!”

Keith laughs and ducks back in before returning once more. He presses a kiss to the corner of Lance’s mouth, “Thank you. I’ll train him out of it. Hurry though we need to make sure he’s all in order.” then he’s gone and Lance hurries to get finished

~*~*~*~*~**~*~

They walk to the vets and Keith talks a lot more than Lance is used to him talking. He doesn’t mind at all though. They hold hands and swing them together, Keith has the puppy tucked under one arm and he rattles off a list of things they’re gonna need for him. Lance thinks he should have gotten Keith a dog a long time ago. Lance has on a baseball cap and sunglasses hoping to deter any unwanted interactions, his “disguise” works well enough if people are far enough away, but he hates wearing it because he knows Keith hates him wearing it.

“It puts a wall between us.”

Shiro had actually recommended the vet when Keith had called him, and both were beyond grateful that the office wasn’t too far from the apartment, Lance even more now as the puppy starts to wiggle his little body in Keith's grasp. Keith talks quietly to him and Lance can not get over the fact that he named him Petal.

The receptionist smiles at them as they come in. The office smells like germ x and dog treats. Lance places a hand on Keith’s lower back before heading over to the little row of stiff chairs in the corner of the room. Keith talks to the receptionist and another person joins them, Keith hands the puppy across the counter. The man lifts him up, looking at his underbelly, his little paws. The man’s eyes fall on Keith and grins sharply, a dimple popping out of his cheek. Lance sits straighter, watching as the man hands Petal back to Keith and then leans on his elbows to talk to him, pulling paper work seemingly out of nowhere and sliding it across to Keith. Lance has to sit there and watch the man grin and wink and charmingly baby talk to the puppy, until he finally goes to the back and Keith joins him.

“They’re gonna see if anyone is missing a little puppy, then they’re gonna fix him, and then we can come back to get him.” Keith says, folding up the paperwork and sticking it into his back pocket. Lance stands up and throws an arm over Keith’s shoulder.

“Sweet, sooo, what are we going to do for the rest of the day?”

Keith opens his mouth and his phone chimes. Frowning he pulls it out, “Well fuck,” he says and looks up at Lance, “I need to go to the office real quick. Sorry.”

Lance shrugs, he sees the doctor come back out and presses a long kiss to Keith’s cheek, just because he can, and fuck off unfairly hot vet man. “That’s fine baby.” 

Keith talks as they walk back to the apartment, their hands swinging between them. Lance listens with a content smile on his face, even if Keith’s voice pitches with frustration as he talks about one of his coworkers. It’s nice and normal, just Keith and him, no cameras or contracts in sight. Lance wouldn’t trade it for anything. He presses another kiss to Keith’s hair.

“So you said the premier is in less than a month?” Keith asks as they climb the stairs up to their floor. Lance nods biting at the inside of his lip.

“We don’t have to tell anyone then, but I thought the sooner the better. I would rather spend my honeymoon not having to worry about work.”

Keith pauses and looks at him with wide eyes, “Honeymoon?”

“Yes Keith,” Lance laughs, taking the key that hangs suspended in Keith’s hand. He unlocks their door, “Do you seriously think we weren’t going to have a honeymoon?”

“Well I mean. I hadn’t thought about it,” Keith mumbles walking towards his bag and digging through it. His thick brows are drawn together and Lance isn’t sure he likes that look on Keith too much. It means he’s thinking too hard. Lance sits on the couch next to him.

“It’s fine Keith, I hadn’t brought it up because I didn’t want it to be an extra level of stress.”

“I’m not stressed,” Keith grouches. He pulls out a stack of papers and flips through them. Lance smiles softly at him and reaches out to brush the hair that’s fallen over his face away.

“You are stressing, and you don’t need to. We can stay home drinking wine and ignoring the world for a month,” Lance leans forward, “but I thought maybe I’d take you home again.”

Keith’s lips quirk, “You liked the cabin that much?”

“I did,” Lance admits, “I wouldn’t mind living there.”

Keith kisses him soundly, falling back against the couch cushions and bringing Lance with him. The papers on Keith's lap slip to the floor and fan out around their feet. Lance ignores them and presses himself closer to Keith who hums in approval. The kiss was going somewhere and that somewhere probably would have led to them spending the rest of the afternoon wrapped in each other. Keith’s phone going off breaks them apart. Keith lets out a long groan and grabs his phone, his eyebrows crease again and Lance smooths his thumb between them.

“Go on. I’ll stay here.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lance makes a late lunch after a few hours. He isn’t very good in the kitchen but having Hunk Garret as a friend has its perks. He succeeded in making a simple meal and spent the rest of his time updating his socials and checking up with Thace. He’s worried that Lance has been too withdrawn.

“People think you’re going through a drug crisis right now, what am I supposed to say? You won’t talk to me.”

It had been an ongoing argument, and Lance had finally had to shut the rumors after his fan base got a little out of hand with worry. 

He wasn’t ruining his life with drugs, potential just his marriage with his stupidity. He feels bad about keeping Thace in the dark as much as he has, he did tell him it was a relationship but the man had understood his desires to keep it out of the public eye. 

Lance sits at their table and looks around the apartment, it’s sad. Keith must hate spending his days here. Sure there are little things around that making the apartment feel homier. Pictures of their trips on the wall and the mantle. Pictures of Shiro and Curtis, Lance’s family, Keith’s family. Keith’s work has a few spots all around the room, on the coffee table, the island, the window seat. It looks like a house of someone who is sorely used to living alone. It hurts Lance more than he thought it would. Makes him worry more than he thought it would. 

Keith texts him that he’s close to home a few minutes later and Lance goes about the kitchen rewarming dishes. He sets the table and places a pitcher of water in the center. He wishes he has candles, or some sort of flower to put into the crusted vase on the windowsill.

Keith’s stack of paper is replaced by a single manila envelope and he right pissed as he stomps through the door and shoves it into Lance’s face.

“This is all they needed me for!” he throws in the direction of the couch and leaves it on the floor when it falls short. Lance laughs softly as he trails Keith over to their table. 

“What is it?” Lance asks after they’re both seated. He dishes food onto Keith’s plate and blushes at the soft smile he gets in return.

“Instructions for my next assignment. They could have just emailed it to me, but nooo,”

Lance nods, while taking a tentative bite of the coleslaw he made. It doesn’t taste too bad. “What kind of assignment?”

Keith shrugs, “I’ll look at it after we call your family.”

They dissolve into comfortable conversation after Keith’s initial pouting is over. Lance talks about the places he had seen while filming and the obnoxious use of green screen that _Omega Shield_ had required. He talks about his costars and how thankful he is that Hunk got cast too even for a minor roll. Keith asks questions, laughs at the shenanigans Lance got into on set, and in turn he tells Lance about everything he’s been doing. He talks about his worries for Shiro again, and his own worries as his profession becomes a dull life sapping chore. Lance reaches across the table to squeeze his hand after he apologizes for damping the mood.

Lance doesn’t think the mood can be dampened. 

After their meal Lance turns music on and wiggles his eyebrows at Keith, reaching for his waist. 

“No, Lance,” Keith protests, laughing as Lance’s fingers dance over his ribs,“No tickling!”

Lance pulls him close, takes the plate from his hand and settles his hands firmly onto his hip bones. 

“Dance with me?”

Keith rolls his eyes but his smile betrays him. He lets his arms settle behind Lance’s neck, “Something slow.”

The music isn’t slow at all, but Lance gently shifts them around their kitchen, keeping Keith as close as he possibly could, pressing their foreheads together. Keith clings to him, one of his hands coming up to tangle in his hair, pushing them closer together. The music stopped and they both ignore it, rocking around the kitchen even as it goes quiet. Lance lets his eyes drift closed, lets himself fall against Keith, pressing himself to Keith's beating heart.

It takes both of them a minute to realize they aren’t dancing anymore. They’ve stopped moving in the middle of their kitchen just embracing each other.

“You need to be home more, or I need to travel with you more. Something,” Keith sighs against his neck.

Lance agrees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long to get out. It is definitely a subpar chapter and honestly pretty bland, but I'm hoping to get into the real meat of the plot for this soon. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who is still reading this and those who have! I promise I read any comments I get but sometimes I don't have time to respond. I love them all though.
> 
> This is probably full of flaws as well, I hardly edited it.


End file.
